Phillips Books

Larkin, generally acknowledged as Britain's finest post-war poet, along with Betjeman, wrote only two novels, both in his fertile early period. 'Jill' is his first serious attempt at sustained prose writing, and the result is a fine, stimulating book.

'Jill' began life as a cross between a girls' school novel pastiche and mild pornography called 'Trouble at Willow Gables', an origin that manifests itself throughout the finished work, bubbling salaciously beneath the surface of John Kemp's escapist scribblings. John, of course, is a typically Larkin-esque protagonist - socially awkward, an outsider, and, like his creator, constantly struggling with the remains of a stammer. The portrait is, as only Larkin could draw it, at once affectionately tongue-in-cheek and unremittingly brutal (John's intrusion on the tea-party early on is to die for). What may alarm Larkin's readers (having recovered from the shock delivered by the life and letters) is the deep-rooted distrust of the imaginative faculties emerging in 'Jill'.

We watch with horror as John begins to invent a younger sister for himself with a paranoia approaching downright madness. His creation is born from malice and a sense of exclusion, exacerbated by humiliation upon humiliation heaped upon his shoulders and, having its inception in unhealthy emotion, his fantasy sends him spiralling deeper into a delusion culminating in his drunken violation of the girl on to whom he has transferred his invented sibling.

'Jill' is a novel of both tremendous wit and cruelty. The Larkin of the poems is clearly visible here, brooding on deception and deprivation, gently self-deprecating. 'Jill' is an essential read for admirers of Larkin, providing an important insight into his life and thought, as well as a glimpse of an angry, ambitious young man before the weariness set in.

Phillip Larkin is known as perhaps the greatest British pPoet of the second half of the twentieth century. This book, of a northern, working class boy's first term at Oxford in the grim fall of 1940, offers unparalelled reading pleasure.

Larkin wrote this book in his early twenties, when the war was still very much in progress, and its outcome uncertain. That is only one of the reason I'd recommend it over the many romanticized WW II stories written afterwards, especially in the last decade, when revisionist history takes over, and we sketch characters of the forties as if they had the insights of the nineties.

Here you get the real thing. The war is a presence in the gritty little details of life -- the privations, the routine of putting up the blackout in defense of bombing raids. Towards the end of the book, the hero returns to his northern town to find it devastated.

I found Jill, and Larkin's second and final novel, A Girl in Winter, also set during war-time, bracing, even comforting reading during the first months of the current war. We see that, despite being shadowed by larger events, the inner workings of personality -- love, identity, pride -- carry on, in spite of all.

I wish Larkin had written more novels, or more novelists could write like him.

This is great learning fun. scientific facts are placed in a fun
and exciting adventure. we adults enjoyed it as much as the kids.
i highly recommend it.

I can't say enough good things about these CDs. My kids are hooked. They are learning a lot--about science, about how to deal with evolutionists, and how to serve the Lord.

I borrowed the book from a friend and once I started reading the book I couldn't put it down.It's a very colorful book with characters and places that jump out at you.The plot is funny and suspenseful and as my children said when I read it to them kickin.Our most favorite character was the witch she gave you a different perspective on what a witch should be like.My children and myself enjoyed this book immensely so much in fact I'm reading it to my children again.

Reading this book made me happy, and it made me sad. Many life lessons presented with humor, understanding, and an array of results and consequences. Instructive and enlightening for the inquiring spirits and minds of children and adults.

This book would make a GREAT base for a thematic or unit study on music. This book appears to be geared to middle schoolers, but younger and older students will also enjoy it.

The thing I like best about this book is that it gets across the fact that music is for everyone, not just the rich and talented. EVERYONE will find something they can do in this book.

I wish every child from a low income family had access to this book.

This book covers an extremely wide spectrum of music. It changed how I viewed the word "music".

This book is on my top ten list of books for children. I can't recommend it enough.

As a teacher, I really enjoy using this book. The instrument making ideas are really do-able! You have many of the needed items around your house right now. The format is laid out in such a way that it's a pleasure to read and use. When you need a quick idea, something will usually jump out by just flipping through the pages. Suitable for children to use on their own, too. Good choice!

"Phillip E. Hardy, staff writer for Sound the Sirens, as well as a contributing editor for New Artist Radio has surpassed himself with his latest creation, a novel about one of the most famous feuds in our nations' history--the Hatfield's and McCoys. This carefully researched and well paced novel moves quickly, bringing us back into a time in our history where neighbor fought neighbor and jealousy, murder,and vengence walked hand in hand with unrequited love. I found Kingdom of the Hollow, to be dramatic and compelling, and I was fascinated with Hardy's depiction of everyday life and characters. Names ring out within the pages of this book, and Devil Anse and the Logan Country Regulators come alive in stirring battle scenes and lively dialogue.

I feel Kingdom of the Hollow presents an historically accurate portrayal of the feud between the Hatfield's and the McCoy's and at the same time is " a really good yarn" that anyone who enjoys historical fiction would find compelling. I give this book and its writer 6 stars!" Trish St. John (Reprinted from www.lulu.com)

Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (4/06)

Most people have heard of the famous feuding families the Hatfields and McCoys. But how many of us know what actually transpired between the two? "Kingdom of the Hollow" is a work of historical fiction that retells this legendary American story. In 1878, Floyd Hatfield and Randolph McCoy are neighbors in rural Kentucky. Randolph accuses Floyd of stealing one of his hogs. This accusation starts a chain reaction of fighting between the two families that lasts over a decade and results in over a dozen deaths.

Author Phillip Hardy provides the historical events of this feud in a straight-forward and chronological manner. At the same time, we get to know the many members of the two families and how they live. The descriptions of Kentucky and West Virginia remind us of the remote cabin life of these mountain men and women and how important family can be in such a lifestyle.

Hardy writes:
"The Tug River region of the Appalachian Mountains was sparsely inhabited by a durable group of men and women. Their families lived for generations sometimes suffering the wrath of nature or the hardships of the difficult terrain. Yet it was a territory of lush green hills covered with endless thickets and narrow, almost hidden valleys."

Even though the circumstances Hardy writes about happened in the late 1800s backwoods of Kentucky, it is still relevant today. We can learn a lot from these two families about the price that is paid for letting anger and revenge take over in a situation. Violence begets violence in an endless stream of killings. Yet each time, the killer feels confident that he is taking the necessary steps to avenge his family. As the Hatfield's set off on an attack of the McCoys, Hardy writes, "By their reckoning, this final raid seemed the only way to abate the violence..." Yet they were wrong. The end was not near.

Before reading "Kingdom of the Hollow," when I heard the phrase "feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys", I pictured neighbors bickering over silly things and letting that anger pass down among generations with the original reasoning forgotten, but not forgiven. After reading the book, I will not throw this phrase around so lightly. The Hatfield-McCoy feud is less like a fight between neighbors and more like a gang war. Anyone interested in American cultural history will enjoy this book. It is also a good read for any fiction lover who enjoys a good gun-slinging western, a crime novel with courtroom drama, or a Romeo and Juliet-style romance.

I've gotten this book, read it 2xs so far, bought it for a dear friend and wish I could buy it in bulk. For those of us with a warped view of what a Daddy is, this is a beautiful expressison of how and why God loves us, plain and simple. In fact, that's one reason its so good! It has helped me and my friend and I intend to pass it on to my brothers & sisters (all 9) and my mother. Its true too often that abused people abuse people. Hard as I've tried I just couldn't see a loving God, Ron Phillips did an awesome job helping me do just that, obviously with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If he were here I'd give him a humungous hug and say thank you a gazillion times!!!

Finally a book that really uncovers the many facets of our Abba Father's love for us. How freeing to realize that He's not looking down on me as some stern judge, but instead He wants a loving relationship with me. I was blessed enough to have a good earthly daddy, but my Daddy God's love for me is even greater. Those who have had difficult or bad relationships with their fathers will really benefit from this book, as they will find a Father's love like they've never known. It's well written and the narratives are reminiscent of C.S. Lewis. All of Ron Phillips' books are definitely worth reading. Can't wait to see what comes next!

The Certified Hood & Duct Cleaners Association (CHDCA) is proud to use Phil Ackland's The Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning and Certification Manual 2003 ed. We have used Phil's manuals for many years and they are very thorough and complete. I highly recommend this manual to anyone interested in learning more about kitchen exhaust cleaning. See our main website www.chdca.com for more information about our training and certification programs for kitchen exhaust cleaners.

This book is an absolute for any person or business looking to get into the exhaust cleaning industry. The book is filled with all of the information you can think of and so much more that you never would. Our company has gained trememdous knowledge from this tool and we recomend it as a must read, something you will need to know, make sure to order the marketing manual as well and alocate 4-5 wks. for review of all of the material.

"Now that you are starting a new life, I am going to give you a new name. How does Lass sound to you?" asked Phillip Keller, the new owner that Lass was introduced to through a personal ad. Although there was a need on both the sheepdog and new owners behalf, Lass escaped from Phillip as soon as the leash was removed. The pages of this book are enhanced by eloquent illustrations. The adventures and mishaps that Lass and Phillip have with one another and other animals are entertaining and suspensful. This is a book for every dog lover.

This is an outstanding book not only for children but for adults also. I have 4 children from ages 9-15 and they all greatly enjoyed and loved this book! Highly recommended!

Awesome book, beautifully written. Captiviating, a good book to read in a peaceful place when you want to relax. The author if very talented and really makes you feel like you are a part of his poems. I can relate to them all. I am looking forward to his next book!!

tHE POEMS IN PHILLIP RAMOS'BOOK IS WONDERFUL--HE IS SUCH A ROMANTIC AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE.

AUTHOR KEN ROY
""LOOKING FOR MOZART""

Law for the Elephant is an incredibly well researched work that deserves much attention. If the myth of the lawless trail riders perpetuated by pulp fiction scribes yet infiltrated the ranks of professional historians up until the publication of this work, this book was their death knell.
Reid methodically debunks one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of mid nineteenth century life on the Overland trail. His exhaustive use of primary sources and his meticulous notes must brand this book as the definitive work on the subject of property and social behavior on the overland trail from a legal perspective. The weight of evidence regarding the relative lawfulness of the travelers is such that, as presented, nearly half way through the reader is inexorably swayed to its veracity. Reid presents not a modicum or even generous amount of proof, but a crush of evidence. The fact that he was only able to locate three specific journal entries of lawlessness regarding property, while it does not suggest there was not more, is significantly persuasive. The fact that he is able to logically illustrate that these cases of lawlessness may be shown as examples of how legal theory and values were imbued within the lawbreakers, is doubly clever.
Although not a scintillating read, Reid displays a certain deftness for keeping the readers attention through what could have been far drier material in the hands of one not so gifted with the pen. His assemblage of innumerable primary sources is a praiseworthy accomplishment. Quotes from primary sources are woven consistently and seemingly effortlessly throughout the text, creating a patchwork of storytelling by case study.
This is not to say, however, that this is an entertaining read for laity or even the armchair historian. Reid occasionally slips into legalese that may momentarily obfuscate the read for even the professional historian, but a standard or legal dictionary remedies this. Also, Reid believes the average American on the trail possessed a greater knowledge of the law then than previously thought. Although this may be the case, some of what Reid chalks up to proof of extensive legal knowledge seems no more than ordinary common sense on behalf of the traveler. In a broader sense, to be fair, Reid does not delve deeply into criminality other than in regard to property. But, conventional wisdom suggests that the two are closely linked and thus, Reid obliquely strengthens his argument by this subtle correlation. These few minor criticisms notwithstanding, as a work of legal historical scholarship, Law for the Elephant is nearly flawless and is a significant contribution to the historiography of the overland trail.

The Overland Trail that spread to the gold fields of California and Oregon was a trying ordeal; it tested the will and endurance of the American character. The experience of the trail not only shaped America geographically, but socially, politically, and economically as well. The trail also shaped another American institution: law. Law and the Overland Trail is a topic that deserves greater study to determine charaterisitcs of the overland trail and the development of law in America. Law during antebellum America focused on capital speculation and corporate structure, and a bed of safe property law allowed corporate proliferation to occur. Reid examines inherent social and legal developments of the Overland Trail with great detail by examining a plethora of sources. He examines diaries, papers and other records for inferences to legal conduct. Reid explores the use of property law on the Overland Trail. He concludes that property law was something that was inherent to Americans in general, and not something forced upon them by corporate America (p. 335). The trail is unique in American legal history, because it shows how Americans administered law in a lawless land. Reid starts the book with general assumptions about the trail, emigrants and jurisprudence. He notes that the emigrant is a typical American: man women, child, old Young, ethnic, educated and uneducated. This mass of humanity seeking a new existence, in a place presented as a paradise, was not a lawless immoral group as legend, and some scholarship dictates. In assuming so, Reid states that, "Easily overlooked is the possibility that law could be the common denominator, explaining both the definitions people shared and the conduct they followed" (p. 10). Reid examines a common thread: property rights. The remainder of the book examines the interrelationships, uses, and behaviors associated with property and property rights. He notes that the creation, operation, and dissolution of joint stock ventures operated with a high degree of jurisprudence. An interesting aspect explored is the concept of ownership. Except for natural resources such as water, property was an abstract concept. Emigrants abandoned property as the hardships of the trial demanded, to avoid liabilities associated with traveling weight. Emigrants obtained supplies by barter, or by acquiring discarded property (p. 293). Reid notes that the transfer and handling of property, whether by and individual, or partnership was peaceful, and rarely was violence employed as a means of resolution (p. 341-54). Reid concludes by stating, "Instead, they respected the rights of property owners much as if still back east in the midst of plenty. By respect for their neighbor, and their neighbors property, they were, more than not, adhering to a morality of law" (p. 364). Law for the Elephant is an excellent macro interpretation of property, legal, and social relations of California gold rush emigrants. Another advantage the work provides us is an understanding of why current views of property came to be. The research is well covered, and the readability of the book is excellent. The book not only provides generalizations about law and the Overland Trail, but gives insight into how emigrants acted at the micro level as well.